OTTAWA - The government body that oversees $38 billion in federal infrastructure spending has had its knuckles rapped for being poorly staffed and hiring unqualified employees.

The audit of Infrastructure Canada paints a picture of an overworked and understaffed public service struggling without managerial direction on how to fix the employee shortfall.

The sharply critical report by the Public Service Commission of Canada comes as the Harper government is pumping out billions of dollars extra in stimulus cash in an effort to boost the troubled economy.

Liberal infrastructure critic Gerard Kennedy called the staffing woes "a recipe for political interference" in the vetting of infrastructure projects.

He said the volume of infrastructure applications in Ontario alone suggests public servants were given less than 45 minutes to check each funding proposal.

"I think it's a zoo over there, and I say that with the greatest respect to the bureaucracy," said Kennedy.

"I think this is a heavily politicized department with no public accountability."

A spokesman for Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird said staffing improvements have already begun and will continue.

Chris Day acknowledged that workers at Infrastructure Canada have handled more than $7.6 billion on some 4,700 projects this year.

But he defended the workload and tried to turn the tables on Kennedy, accusing him of somehow demeaning bureaucrats.

"It's a testament to hard work, long hours and dedication to their country," Day said. "Rather than attacking them, Mr. Kennedy should be celebrating public servants at every level of government for answering the call during this time of economic crisis."

The departmental audit found that eight of 45 staff appointments it reviewed failed to meet "essential qualifications," and another 15 could not show they met the requirements.

Infrastructure Canada has had either no human resource plan or insufficient plans in the three years audited since the Conservatives came to power, said the report.

"The department has faced and continues to face a significant shortfall of staff," said the audit.

The problem of unqualified public servants is not unique to Infrastructure Canada. An audit of hiring practices at the Immigration and Refugee Board found 33 of 54 appointments did not demonstrate merit, while another audit of Health Canada found 32 of 51 appointments didn't demonstrate merit.

As of March 2008, Infrastructure Canada had 203 employees, 20 per cent below its approved staffing level of 253 positions.

The audit notes: "With the government's Economic Action Plan announced as part of Budget 2009, the department's responsibility has grown to include the delivery of 12 federal programs, totalling almost $38 billion."

The department responded to the audit by saying more rigorous human resources practices are just now being put in place in the fall of 2009.

"Infrastructure Canada looks forward to working with its staff and with the Public Service Commission in the coming months, as the department reinforces its capacity to achieve excellence in HR planning and performance while continuing to deliver on the government's commitments in the Economic Action Plan of Budget 2009," said the official response.

Opposition critics were briefed on the infrastructure program last spring and it was clear then there were staffing issues.

"My understanding of last year is they didn't add a single staff, net," said Kennedy.

"That is a recipe for bad performance. It's also a recipe for political interference. Shortcuts are taken when people aren't there and when people aren't trained."